National Nurses United

CALIFORNIA R egistered nurses at six Tenet hospitals across California held one-day strikes on Oct. 30, to protest the multibillion-dollar hos- pital corporation's refusal to address nurses' deep concerns about patient care and safe staffing. The 3,100 Tenet nurses, represented by California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU), have been in contract negotiations since February, with little to no movement on key issues. The nurses work at the following Tenet hospitals: San Ramon Medical Center in San Ramon, Doctors Hospital Manteca in Man- teca, Doctors Medical Center in Modesto, Emanuel Medical Center in Turlock, Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, and Hi-Desert Medical Center in Joshua Tree. "It's clear to the nurses that Tenet is pri- oritizing profits over patients," said Joeton Labos, an ICU nurse at San Ramon Medical Center in San Ramon. "We continue to lose experienced nurses to other area hospitals, which jeopardizes our ability to provide safe patient care. We will do everything in our power to fight for our patients, and that includes going out on strike!" At Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, nurses say Tenet is jeopardizing care for the most vulnerable of patients: the frag- ile newborns in the neonatal intensive care unit. The hospital was granted a waiver only for emergency situa- tions, which allows the hospi- tal to cut staffing below the state-mandated safe patient ratios in the unit. However, the hospital is using the waiver on a continual basis, even sending nurses home, creating conditions that threaten the care of these very sick newborns. "Tenet is jeopardizing patient care for the most vulnerable newborns in our hospital," said Deb Edwards, a registered nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit at Desert Regional Medical Center. "We demand safe staffing for our precious babies and that Tenet live up to its stated values of 'acting with integrity and the highest ethical stan- dards, always.'" In September, the nurses had voted unanimously to authorize a strike. Tenet RNs are urging management to invest in nursing staff and the communi- ties served by its hospitals by agreeing to standards that ensure the highest quality of patient care. Nurses are demanding guaranteed meal- and rest-break coverage so they can have enough time to eat, regroup, and be present for all their patients. They also want improvements to recruitment and retention of experienced nurses who are critical to safe patient care and serve as mentors to newer nurses. The RNs also want lift teams to help with turning and lifting patients. Dedicated staff for the recurring task of lifting patients helps reduce injury to patients and nurses. The nurses also want safe staffing at all times. Without adequate nurses and ancil- lary staff on a unit, patient care is delayed, which can lead to harm for patients. Tenet recently garnered national attention for how its failures to invest in adequate nurs- ing staff and resources in its hospitals fuel moral injury and distress while putting patient care in jeopardy. Lorena Burkett, a nurse at Tenet's Emanuel Medical Center in Turlock, in an October 2025 article in KFF Health News, one of the nation's leading health care outlets, how understaffing undermines her ability to provide the optimal care for her patients. Tenet was also highlighted in 2023's Dirty Dozen report by the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, which found that Tenet cuts corners on patient and worker safety and retaliates against those who speak out about safety issues. Tenet Healthcare Corporation is a multi- billion-dollar health care company. Last year, Tenet made $4.1 billion in profits, a jump from $1.3 billion in 2023. The CEO, Saum Sutaria, is the highest-paid health care CEO in the country. Sutaria took home more than $24 million in 2024. —Rachel Berger 3,100 Tenet nurses strike for patient safety Nurses at six hospitals across California held one-day strikes 8 N A T I O N A L N U R S E W W W . N A T I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G O C T O B E R | N O V E M B E R | D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 5 NEWS BRIEFS

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